KUALA LUMPUR: World No. 7 Lee Zii Jia, like other medal hopefuls for the Paris Olympic men's singles event, eagerly awaits the draw for next month's competition at Porte de la Chapelle Arena, scheduled from July 27-Aug 5.
Having re-entered the world's top eight, Zii Jia can breathe a sigh of relief, knowing he will avoid fellow seeded players until at least the last-16 stage. However, the group stage still presents challenges.
Nearly half of the 41-man field comprises shuttlers outside the world's top 50, including world No. 286 Soren Opti of Suriname, who secured his spot through a Tripartite invitation.
Despite this, several unseeded dark horses could spring surprises and disrupt major contenders during the group stage.
According to the BWF's Olympic Games rules, the 41-man field will be divided into 13 groups, with the number of seeds matching the number of groups. Thus, barring any unforeseen circumstances before the draw ceremony on July 12, notable players not expected to be seeded include world No. 14 Lakshya Sen of India, Hong Kong's Lee Cheuk Yiu (No. 17), France's Toma Junior Popov (No. 19), Canada's Brian Yang (No. 26) and South Korea's Jeon Hyeok Jin (No. 45).
Higher-seeded players like Zii Jia will hope to avoid these formidable competitors early in the competition.
Lakshya has shown signs of resurgence, reaching the semi-finals of the All England and French Open and playing a key role in India's run to the last four of the Thomas Cup.
Popov, buoyed by home support, is also in good form.
He recently pushed world No. 1 Shi Yu Qi to three games in the Indonesia Open quarter-finals and stunned world No. 2 Viktor Axelsen en route to winning silver at the European Championships in April.
Brian is another potential threat, eager to pull off a major upset after nearly defeating then-second-seeded Chou Tien Chen in the final group match in Tokyo three years ago.
The Taiwanese ace had to dig deep to win 21-18, 16-21, 22-20.
Hyeok Jin is another player Zii Jia would prefer to avoid, given his unpredictability and knack for rising to big occasions.
During the Thomas Cup, Hyeok Jin pushed both Yu Qi and Indonesia's Anthony Ginting for over an hour before losing in the deciding games.
Notably, Hyeok Jin's compatriot, Heo Kwang Hee, upset then-top-seeded Kento Momota during the group stage in Tokyo.
The men's singles competition at the Tokyo Olympics is a reminder that even seeded players can succumb to pressure, and underdogs are always ready to seize opportunities.
Guatemala's Kevin Cordon's fairy-tale run, finishing fourth after losing to Anthony Ginting in the bronze medal match, exemplified the drama.
Angus Ng of Hong Kong, B. Sai Praneeth of India, and Kantaphon Wangcharoen of Thailand were among the seeded players knocked out in the group stage.